Just Browsing Ants!!

[Dobbie]

We are inundated with ants throughout our van ....camping at Noosa northshore and it's been a howling gale, huge seas and now.....lots of ants.

I'm sick of trying to get rid of them and am aware not to use Baygon etc inside van as it damages the Jayco plastic .

I've also tried to plug up every orifice in the canvas, floor etc but they still get in.

Any easy solutions? (And, yes, I did wash up.....so there's not stuff left out to attract them)

See, I can stick to one topic and look forward to multiple suggestions for a solution!

 

[skippy]

@Dobbie We have been using baby powder for years and it hasn't failed us yet, around the legs/over the power lead/jockey wheel and so on, basicly what ever they can crawl up cover it in talcum powder.

 

[NoWorries]

I have the same issues but at home.
I have now started to sprinkle ant dust around the tyres, drop down jacks and jockey wheel, this has stopped them from nesting in the van (so far)
I am going to take the ant dust with me when camping and do the same thing.

 

[Dobbie]

Thanks.

I guess I'd forgotten baby powder had multiple uses.

We'd just managed to get all the mud wasps cleaned out then, suddenly, a new ant invasion. They just seemed to come from nowhere so I wondered if it had something to do a change in atmospheric conditions as we certainly have had that.

I even put the drop downs in an ice cream container of water...forgot the jockey wheel.

Will grab some ant powder for future infestations.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

We have a massive problem with tiny little brown ants as well.

The seem to have taken up residence in the roof, and appear from the light fittings and vents.

We have tried ant baits, copious quantities of insect spray, ant powder around the wheels etc, but nothing seems to work.

 

[Dobbie]

I can vaguely remember at handover being told not to use insect spray inside as it affects the plastic.

Anyone else get that message? Or is my memory unreliable again?

(Now trying flour...closest thing we have to baby powder...but think it's a food source so may not work. At least they'll congregate in the one spot and we can belt them)

 

[Drover]

Since our place is The Ant Holiday Camp, thats from ferocious termites to the little black buggers, other than parking our rig in trays of water I have found I spray legs, wheels, power lead,water lines, anything that touches the ground with surface spray and as back up have a bottle of antrid for the mongrels that get inside, which does happen.......They will also come down from the trees like drop bears.

.......I use this or the other brands to spray house and van, one of my boys is a Pest Controller and reckons this stuff and the Mortein is about what they use nowadays since the good stuff has been banned.

Insect spray has always been a bit toxic to plastic and will stain the interior walls of the van as it's really only a paper covering.

 

[achjimmy]

Get any cafes and ant rid. Works a treat and kills the nest given time.

 

[dagree]

Had issues with the little black B^%$@'s last month at Busselton. Always put powder (Or spray) wherever they can get in (Jockey wheel, drop downs, tyres, hoses, cables etc etc!).....

Had quite a few in the van and couldn't work out where they were coming from.
Walked around and looked up!!!!!!! The so and so's were literally dropping from a branch onto the roof and in from there..... Quick spray around the area with the same as in the pic @Drover posted and all gone!

 

[peterg]

I'm still in favor of a shot gun. Nothings too small for pellets!

 

[spiderpig]

We had the buggers everywhere in our van. Had to do some other work on the van which involved popping some of the dometic fridge surrounds off and there they were nesting under the fridge
We have them everywhere around the house too, have tried copious amounts of that Ant rid type powder/granules with no luck. Will give that spay posted above a try next.

 

[Dobbie]

Interesting that our ant infestation disappeared once we arrived home.

So..no nests and it seems that the conditions of high humidity contributed.

I'll grab some ant powder for the next trip.

 

[bigcol]

I have a thingy of Antex that I carry in the Van
as well as baby powder

general use, Antex around wheels, legs, jockey wheel etc
if there is lots of them, I do a big circle around Van & annex to keep the sods out

plus SWMBO has some of them ant traps in the Van as well

 

[Crusty181]

ant traps

Like tiny mouse traps ? ... they'd take forever to set

 

[skippy]

I also use ant graduals at home called Amdro from the big green shed(Bunnings).

It works by the worker ants taking the graduals back to the nest and then it knocks off the queen and the rest of the worker ants.:rip: This can take uselly about a week though but it works....hasn't fail us yet.:thumb:
Just don't look at the price :eek-53:

http://www.bunnings.com.au/basf-amdro-170g-granular-ant-bait_p2963666

 

[dagree]

I also use ant graduals at home called Amdro from the big green shed(Bunnings).

Might have to try that at home... As we have ant mounds on the front lawn now :encouragement:

 

[skippy]

It's works a treat @dagree last time when we free camped for 2 weeks near Coral Bay we had not one Ant in the van after 2 weeks and kids had crums everywhere around the van.
I wish Amdro/Baby powder stopped the snakes/spiders as well:loco:

 

[bigcol]

Like tiny mouse traps ? ... they'd take forever to set

sure does mate, but the work.......................

 

[The Exterminator]

Hi all,
Just browsing and came across this thread. Amdro Granules work well for brown ants, but you need to mix it with honey or something sweet for black ant control.

The absolute best two products on the market are Syngenta Advion Ant Gel and Antmaster Liquid Ant Bait (which you will need bait stations to put it in or put it in bottle caps). Get it from eBay (I'm in the industry and seriously the eBay prices are as good or better than I can get it).
It's not cheap but lasts for ever. Lay matchstick size lines of the Advion Ant Gel where the ants are active and it will kill the colony within 24 hours (each ant will die several hours after consuming it).
I always keep a tube spare in the van and in the kitchen at home. No sprays or toxic poison to worry about.\

For lawn ants outside at your home use Termidor Liquid. Same thing. Not cheap ($285 for 1L), but will last years and years and will save you tonnes of time from spraying time over and over again using that rubbish from the big green shed.

 

[Dobbie]

Thanks for that!

I'll try to source the stuff for home use...it sounds like it might work.

As for travelling....we found lots of ants on the roof when we packed up yesterday but they've disappeared as we crossed the border. Ants stayed in NSW and we left.